Dogs seized in Tiverton have many hygiene, health problems

TIVERTON – The odor of urine and feces outside the Tiverton house told investigators they had a problem even before they stepped through the door.

Inside, they found more than 30 dogs, many of them with matted fur, overgrown nails caked with feces, skin burns from lying in urine.

"We discovered the 34 dogs living in deplorable conditions, accumulated feces and urine, dogs all confined in cages that were too small for them," said Earl Newman, senior special agent for the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Acting on an anonymous tip, the RISPCA, state Department of Environmental Management and Tiverton police and animal control went to the house at 16 Roseland Terrace on Wednesday morning. The dogs and two cats were removed. The house was "found to be uninhabitable" after an inspection by the Tiverton code officer, and the three residents were told to relocate until the home can be cleaned and repaired, the Tiverton police said.

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Big seizures burden shelter agencies already at capacity

The seizure, the third major case in two weeks, puts additional pressure on the RISPCA and other areas shelters which have been dealing with a high number of pet surrenders and abandonments in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The RISPCA announced it would have to close down Thursday and Friday and probably over the weekend so staff members can check and tend to the seized dogs.

"We're beyond full," said RISPCA President and General Agent Wayne Kezirian.

Several other rescue agencies took in some of the dogs seized in Tiverton, but the RISPCA kept 12. "Our folks are all in the kennels tending to the dogs, which all need attention," Kezirian said Thursday. The dogs have fleas, worms, and some have wounds of unknown origin, he said, adding, "Two of the 12 we have might not make it."

According to the police, a resident of the house told investigators she was fostering the dogs for animal rescuers out of Texas, but an investigation showed she doesn't have a license from the state Department of Environmental Management to operate a rescue.

Efforts by The Journal to reach the woman were unsuccessful, but information online indicates she was associated with an animal rescue. She has not been charged, according to Newman, but the investigation is continuing.

Newman said he spoke with two agencies in Texas that acknowledged sending the dogs to Rhode Island. Such transfers are regulated for the health and safety of the animals, he said. Among the regulations is one requiring that the facility accepting the dogs be licensed, he said.

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'I think she became overwhelmed'

The Tiverton woman may have felt pressured to take the dogs to save them from being killed in Texas, Newman said. She did manage to place some dogs in homes, he said.

"I think her intentions, at least initially, were good," Newman said. "I don't think she wanted to put these dogs in this position. I think she became overwhelmed."

It's not unusual for people in states with high shelter kill rates to try moving them to states like Rhode Island, according to Kezirian. Sometimes they'll use the prospect of euthanasia to get people to accept the dogs, Newman said.

"I don't in any way doubt these dogs would have been targeted for euthanasia if somebody hadn't taken them," Kezirian said.

It's been a busy few weeks for the RISPCA and other Rhode Island animal rescue agencies. In Warwick on April 20, the RISPCA helped Warwick Animal Control seize 13 cats and two dogs as part of an investigation into a pair of dogs, initially mistaken for coyotes, running loose in the city. That led to the seizure Monday of some 40 dogs, cats and guinea pigs living in "deplorable" conditions in Central Falls, Newman said.

The RISPCA is so full it had to double up some small dogs in kennels, according to Kezirian. He's looking forward to the opening of the RISPCA's new headquarters in Warwick, scheduled for July. It will double the RISPCA's capacity to house animals in need, as the agency will keep its East Providence rescue center open.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Dogs seized in Tiverton kept in 'deplorable conditions'